Oceania Cruises recently christened its newest ship, Oceania Allura, with a dazzling Miami pier-side ceremony. The affair culminated in a first-of-its-kind godparent christening with acclaimed chefs Tavel Bristol-Joseph, Katie Button, Calvin Eng, Aisha Ibrahim, George Mendes and Lawrence “LT” Smith representing Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs franchise as godparents.
The partnership with Food & Wine makes sense for the cruise line that prides itself in “The Finest Cuisine at Sea,” and continues a tradition of godparents from the culinary world including past godmothers Giada De Laurentiis (godmother of Oceania Vista), Cat Cora (godmother of Oceania Riviera) and Claudine Pépin (godmother of Oceania Sirena and daughter of the luxury cruise line’s first Executive Culinary Director, the renowned Chef Jacques Pépin).
Among the 12 onboard dining experiences is the glamourous Grand Dining Room, featuring 270 new recipes across all three meal services, and the Crêperie, a completely new concept for the line, offering a selection of tempting French crêpes, Bruxelles waffles and bubble waffles, alongside gelato sundaes.
Oceania also introduced 12 new, flavourful and creative Nikkei dishes to its signature Pan-Asian restaurant Red Ginger onboard Oceania Vista and Oceania Allura. This menu expansion brings a vibrant fusion of Peruvian flavours and refined Japanese culinary techniques and tastes to sea. The new Nikkei dishes will be added to the rest of the fleet by early 2026.
Oceania is also reprising its original French restaurant, Jacques, named for Chef Pépin. The menu for the new iteration of this much-loved dining venue is a collaboration between Chef Pépin himself and the line’s current Executive Culinary Directors and Master Chefs of France, Alexis Quaretti and Eric Barale, blending new flavours with well-loved dishes that have been guest favourites since Jacques was first introduced aboard Oceania Marina when the ship launched.
Oceania Allura‘s inaugural season sailings span more than 92 destinations on an array of 7- to 34-day voyages, from iconic cities to lesser-known gems. Sister ship to Oceania Vista (launched in 2023), Oceania Allura is the line’s eighth ship. Boasting “the most spacious standard staterooms at sea,” measuring more than 290 square feet, Allura is 791 feet (241 meters) long and has capacity for 1,200 guests at double occupancy. There are two crew members onboard for every three guests, with half dedicated to culinary operations.
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